The Tale Of Tilly Pratt
by AsAmyAsAlways
Summary: Tilly loved John. John loved Tilly. That was until John decided that having an outlaw for a wife wouldn't be acceptable. So, since then Tilly decided never to be acceptable for anyone. However, when their paths cross in Colby five years later, it's up to them and the Indian, Tonto, to stop the corrupt businessman Latham Cole from stealing enough silver to buy the entire country.
1. Chapter 1

**New York, 1997. Christmas Eve.**

The fire crackled as an old woman rocked back and forth in her chair, knitting needles clicking together as the snow continued to fall outside. She looked up at her granddaughter, who was knotting a piece of string into a lasso while sitting on her rocking horse. She flicked the end of the string towards one of her teddy bears, managing to loop it around the bear's middle.

"Is this how Tilly did it, Granny?" She asked, standing up in the horse's saddle and yanking the bear towards her.

"She would be proud." The woman told her.

"Do you remember her?" Her granddaughter asked.

"She was my great-grandmother. I met her only a few times when I was very little. But I do remember seeing a photo of her when she was younger. She was very beautiful. You have her hair. Dark reddy brown, almost a purple maroon." The woman said thoughtfully.

"Can you tell me the story again?" The little girl asked, curling up in front of the fire with her bear. The old woman smiled and set her knitting down in her lap as she began to tell the story of her great-grandmother, Matilda Pratt, the legendary outlaw of the Wild West.

"Matilda, or Tilly Pratt was brought up in the Texas desert by outlaws. When she was twenty years old, she saved the life of John Reid, the local sheriff's son, and they became friends, eventually falling in love. Four years later they were ready to spend the rest of their lives together, but John's father did not want his son to be seen with, let alone marry an outlaw. So, his father told him to leave her." The old woman recalled.

"There's no way John would do that, though, right? I mean…he loves her." Her granddaughter asked innocently.

"If only that was true." Her grandmother replied, shaking her head. "On the day John was scheduled to leave Texas to study Law, he pulled Tilly aside. She was so proud of him...He told her that she was no longer appropriate for him. This broke Tilly's heart, and as she watched him leave, she vowed to never be appropriate for anyone, and it became one of her most recognisable qualities. It was not appropriate for a woman to be a lawman, so she became an outlaw. It was not appropriate for a woman to bare her ankles in a skirt, so she wore hers well above her knees. And so, everything that she couldn't do, she did and everything she could never be, she became." The old woman finished.

"But that's not the end. Is it?" The little girl asked. "Isn't there supposed to be a happy ending."

The old woman smiled at the girl's eagerness to hear the story, even though she'd heard it many times before.

"No. It is not the end." The old woman said, and continued the story of the Tilly Pratt, the Lone Ranger and the Indian.

 **Colby, Texas, 1869.**

On the ridge, Tilly sat atop her horse and looked down into the valley where the small town of Colby sat quietly in the center. Through the valley lay the newly erected railway. Built to unite the country of America. But Tilly couldn't care less about trains. She was more interested in what was _in_ one that was due to approach Colby any minute.

The outlaw, Butch Cavendish, was en route to hang in the town and that was all thanks to Tonto, a Comanche and friend of Tilly. While Cavendish was a fellow outlaw, Tilly had a sense of decency, and a general respect for human life.

Tonto had gotten aboard the train, and was keeping an eye on Butch, so all they had to do was make sure he got to his hanging on time. Tilly stood up in the saddle as she saw the train round the base of the ridge. Right on time.

* * *

Aboard the train, sat a man who hadn't been in Colby for the past five years. He'd been at law school and was returning to become the town's judge and Texas Ranger. John Reid flicked through his pocket sized constitution, until he reached the photograph he used as a bookmark. The photograph was of a beautiful girl, whom he hadn't seen since he left Colby. He smiled at her pretty face, but was nervous about what would happen if he ran into her.

* * *

Back on the ridge top, Tilly watched as the train snaked it's way through the valley, but her attention was quickly drawn to loud yells from the bottom of the ridge, where she saw a group of men aboard horses racing towards the train.

She recognised them as Butch's men, and knowing that things had been going too smoothly, stirred her horse and galloped off the ridge top, giving chase to the train.

By the time she caught up with the train, some of Butch's men had already made it inside the carriages and were no doubt terrorizing the passengers. As an outlaw, Tilly was neither hated nor loved, but she always made sure she hid her identity, just in case. So, she hooked the other corner of the black clothe that was hanging by the side of her face behind her ear so it was covering her nose and mouth, and urged her horse forwards.

She reached the passenger car and after clicking to her horse, to keep pace with the train, stood on top of the saddle and leapt across to the carriages couplings. Tilly drew her two pistols and pushed open the door to see a carriage full of Presbyterian women and children. One of Butch's men was trying to take a ring off an old woman, while another was singing along with a sobbing lady as the band was held at his gun point.

The carriage fell silent as they saw Tilly standing in the doorway. She was certainly a rare sight, dressed in a dusty purple skirt that was eye-wateringly short at the front and circled round to her calves at the back, her matching corset showed off her tanned and strong shoulders and her heeled, lace up boots extended her already long legs. While her face was mostly covered by the cloth, her aqua eyes stood out against the dark makeup she wore around them.

"Hey, Frank." She said to one of Butch's as he stared at her.

"Uh, hi." He replied nervously. Butch's other man wasn't as distracted and aimed his pistol at her. Frank ducked out of the way as Tilly beat the man to it, firing a single shot that hit him in the chest. The women in the carriage screamed as she looked around for Frank, but he'd disappeared.

Tilly started through the carriage and reached for the door handle when a shout came up from behind her.

"Harlot!" The priest screamed, looking from her to the dead man. She glared warningly at him and he stepped back, not daring to challenge her again.

She wrenched open the door to the carriage and stood on the coupling as, above her, Frank leapt to the next carriage, running across the rooves.

Tilly whistled to her horse, and Bessy appeared beside the carriage. She leapt down and landed in the saddle. With the extra speed, Tilly chased after Frank.

As the train approached the town, Tilly realised she had more things to worry about, as the powerful engine wasn't slowing down. Tilly caught up with Frank, who was pointing his pistols at Tonto, who had somehow escaped, with another man in a suit.

Tilly pulled the whip from her belt and snapped it towards Frank's leg, wrapping itself neatly around his ankle. He just had time to look down before Tilly yanked his feet out from under him, and he toppled off the side of the train.

* * *

Standing beside Tonto, John watched as Frank disappeared over the side of the carriage and looked over the edge to see a woman jump on top of her horse's saddle and prepare to leap onto the carriage.

"Who is that?" John asked the Indian he was chained to.

"Great warrior." He replied as the woman leapt onto the carriage and pulled herself up, onto the roof.

"We have to stop the train! That's the end of the line." John said to the woman as she stood up and looked ahead to where workman were still constructing the track.

"Must jump!" The Indian yelled.

"There's no time. We have to unhook the carriages." She replied, running past them and leaping across to the next carriage. The trio ran along the top of the train til they reached the first passenger carriage. The woman dropped down and pulled out the bolt, letting the carriages free of the speeding train.

"Oh, damn." The woman muttered to herself as she realised, the three of them were still aboard the engine.

"Now what?" John asked, as they were now only two hundred meters from the end of the track.

"Now, you jump." She replied, and dropped down into the empty cabin, where she found a pick axe, and broke off the end. She hurried back over to him and the Indian, tying the spike to the end of their chains.

"You're gonna want to hold on to each other. This is gonna hurt." She yelled, and threw the spike over the back of the train. John hesitated for a moment, not understanding what was happening, but as the pike caught on one of the sleepers, he understood. The chain tightened and he and the Indian, were yanked off the back of the train, flying for a second before landing on the track where they'd previously been standing.

* * *

Once Tilly was sure the pair had cleared the train, she whistled once again to Bessy and she jumped down, onto the horses back as the train ran off the tracks and into the soft sand, skidding violently, before tipping on it's side and rolling to a stop.

"Good girl." She said to her faithful horse, patting it's flank as they walked back to where Tonto and the other man where laying, still on the railway.

She thought for a moment that they were dead, but Tonto soon let out a wheeze, and rolled onto his back as the other man gulped in lungful's of air trying to regain the wind had been knocked out of him.

"You alright, Tonto?" She asked her friend, leaning forwards in her saddle.

"Oh yes. Very fine." He said sarcastically.

Tilly turned to the other man, but paused as she recognised him, much to her annoyance.

"What are you doing back here?" She asked and the man squinted up at her, confused.

"What?" He wheezed.

"You shouldn't of come back." She said, and pulled away her mask, revealing her identity to the man she once loved.

"Tilly?" John Reid asked, astonished, but she ignored him as Tonto pulled himself to his feet and walked over to her.

"Windigo gone." He said, referring to Butch.

"Great." She replied tiresomely.

"His fault." Tonto added, pointing to John. "Half-wit. Wet brain."

"I agree." Tilly said as John continued to stare at her.

"Must find Cavendish." Tonto decided and started off, towards the desert.

"If you need me, you know where to find me." She said to him, as he went off to try and track down Butch…again.

"Tilly." John called, having found his tongue.

"You stay out of my life." She interrupted him, turning Bessie back towards town.

"I was gonna ask if I could have a lift." He said.

"You have legs, don't you?" Tilly called over her shoulder, and she saw John looked down at his legs.

"Use them." She added, before riding back into town.


	2. Chapter 2c

Being the new counselor in town, John had taken it upon himself to hunt down Butch Cavendish. So, he rounded up his brother Dan and childhood friend Collins, both Texas Rangers and set off on horse back, into the desert.

The trio rode non-stop until they reached a deep canyon, where they sent in Collins to make sure they wouldn't get ambushed.

"Here. Take this." Dan said, handing his little brother a pistol.

"No, I don't believe in them. You know that." John replied. As a man of the law he believed in justice and that everyone deserved a fair trial.

"Butch Cavendish won't care either way." Dan warned.

"I'll take my chances." John replied as a whistle came up from the valley and Collins waved them all clear.

The pair rode into the valley, and John looked around at the incredibly, sheer cliffs surrounding them on either side.

"Where's Collins?" Dan asked, drawing John's attention back to the mission.

"Collins!" John shouted and there was a pause before gun shots started echoing throughout the valley. "Ambush!" Dan yelled and the two brothers stirred their horses and raced off, down the valley.

John was slightly ahead of Dan as bullets continued to rain down on them. Behind him came a yell and the whinnie of a horse. John looked over his shoulder in time to see Dan's horse fall to the ground, with Dan lying a few meters away in the dirt.

"Dan!" John yelled and leapt off his horse, skidding to a stop beside his brother, who had two bullet holes in his chest.

"Leave me." He spluttered.

"No." John refused, and heaved his brother to his feet and dragged him back to his horse. "You're gonna be fine." He assured Dan as there was a single bullet shot and John went ridged, feeling a strange sensation in his chest.

He stumbled once and then fell to the ground, barely conscious as Butch Cavendish and his men rode into the valley. He watched as the blurry figure of Cavendish dismounted from his horse and waltzed over to Dan. He crouched down beside his dying brother, a smirk on his thin lips and said something that John couldn't make out with his swirling head. And just before he lost consciousness completely he saw Butch drive his knife into Dan's chest and tear out his heart before stuffing it in his mouth. Then everything went black.

* * *

Back in Colby, Tilly stood at the back of a crowd, gathered to hear a speech by the railway's Manager, Latham Cole. She certainly stood out from the dusty crowd in her long, ruby coloured skirt, which of course was shorter at the front and her matching red corset with straps sitting off her shoulders.

"My friends and citizens of Colby, I've asked you here today so you can see at firsthand what I believe to be the single most important enterprise under God…" Cole announced, taking the stage as the crowd applauded politely.

"The unification of this great country of ours by iron rail." He continued before turning to two Indians on horseback. "To the Comanche, I say you have nothing to fear. As long as there is peace between us, all land treaties shall be honored…But to the outlaw, those who prey upon the weak, make no mistake, law and order has come to the Wild West." He decreed and the crowd cheered as Tilly rolled her eyes.

'How does he think law and order _came_ to the West?' She thought to herself and as Cole finished his speech, she turned her attention back to the small line of markets that ran down the main street.

A stall with beautiful material caught her eye and she pulled out a black velvet neck tie. She pulled it around her neck, feeling the soft material against her tanned skin.

"Very pretty." The Chinese woman who owned the stall said enticingly, holding a mirror up to Tilly.

"It's beautiful." Tilly complimented the woman.

"For you." She offered.

"Oh, no. Thank you." Tilly replied and pulled off the tie.

"For you!" She insisted, glancing over Tilly's shoulder and Tilly looked too, to see Latham Cole eyeing her closely. 'Well, if Mr Cole is buying it for me, then I'll definitely keep it.' Tilly thought to herself, knowing that the businessman would try yet again to make advances on her, but she'd worked out the more times she said no, the more times he'd try and win her over by buying her things, so if it meant she got things for free then why not let him try.

Some people may have seen this as the act of a gold digger, but Cole shouldn't have been pressuring a much younger woman in the first place.

"Thank you." Tilly said to the woman, and tied the tie around her neck.

"It suits you." Cole said as Tilly moved on from the stall. "So, what do you think of our endeavor?" he asked.

"It's very impressive." She replied.

"It'll be finished in a week and a half. The two tracks will join at Promontory Point." He added as Tilly fixed the strap on her dress.

"You know…" Cole started, a little hesitantly. "…nine out of ten people would be offended by that outfit."

"But you're the tenth?" She asked.

"Well, I believe people should embrace their individuality. Be themselves." He replied as he couldn't help but let his eyes wander, confirming for the billionth time that he was disgusting.

* * *

John's eyes flew open as he filled his lungs with big gasps of air. His head pounded and the sky seemed to spin nauseatingly, as he managed to sit up. He was sitting on the side of a Rocky Mountain, and as he turned to look around he came face-to-face with the last person he expected to see.

"Tonto?" He managed, but the Indian just stared at him as John rubbed his dirty head. "W-Why am i covered in dirt?"

"I buried you." Tonto replied.

"I thought I was dead." John said.

"Horse..." Tonto explained, nodding at a pure white stallion, standing near the camp. "...says you are Spirit Walker. A man who has been to the other side, and returned. A man who cannot be killed in battle."

"Right." John said slowly and paused as memories came flooding back. "Dan." He breathed. "What about my brother?"

"Dan is very dead." Tonto replied.

"He tore out his heart." John said, referring to Cavendish. "What kind of man does that?"

"My people call him Windigo. An evil spirit born to throw nature out of balance. I had been hunting him for twenty six years, and I had him on the train, until you showed up." Tonto said accusingly.

"Excuse me. I believe I saved your life." John replied confidently.

"Then you are stupid, Kemosabe." He decided.

"Yeah, well. I'm going. Thanks for all your help." John said, getting up and looking around to find the best way to go.

"Where do you go?" Tonto asked.

"Into town, to form a posse." He replied.

"That is not such good idea." Tonto advised.

"Yeah? Why not?" He asked sceptically.

"Because there was a gun waiting for Cavendish on the train." Tonto said, and John stopped as realisation dawned on him. "Three men rode into canyon, I dig two graves."

"Collins." John breathed. "He knew us since we were kids."

"You find traitor. Your find Windigo." Tonto said and threw a leather vest to John.

"Dan's vest." John said painfully, before pulling something out of the pocket. It was a leather mask, made from the vest.

"Eyes cut from the bullets that killed him. From the great beyond, he will protect you and the ones you love." Tonto said.

"You want me to wear a mask?" John asked skeptically.

"The men you seek think you are dead, Kemosabe. Better to stay that way." Tonto advised.

"All right, but if we ride together it's to bring these men to justice in a court of law. Is that understood?" John said.

"Justice is what I seek, Kemosabe." Tonto replied, placing the white hat onto John's head.


	3. Chapter 3

TTOTP – 3

"Evening, Red." Tilly said as she walked up the steps of her boss' open office, overlooking the bar and full house. The red headed woman sitting at the desk looked over the top of her tiny spectacles at her and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Evening, my Dear." Red replied.

"How's business?" Tilly asked.

"Very good. With this railroad almost finished, people are starting to relax more and...have a little fun." She replied and then thought a moment before continuing. "You know, I was thinking. Why don't you join the other girls on the floor? It sure does pay better than working out the back."

"Thank you, Red. But I'm happy where I am." Tilly replied before walking through the office and into the room at the back where she worked. Her job was to count money, take inventory and make sure that Red's House Of Sin stayed open.

The day had been long, and it was obvious by the state of Tilly's dress. So, after quickly changing into a dusty rose coloured, corseted dress with straps that fell off her shoulders and trademark skirt, she sat at the desk and began counting the nights already high takings.

She hadn't gotten very far, however, when there was the sound of a commotion outside, in Red's office. Sometimes people got a little too rowdy and found their way upstairs. So, Tilly grabbed a pistol and opened the door to see Red talking to Tonto, of all people, and a man wearing a white hat and black leather mask.

"There ain't no railroad without girls like mine, doing the heavy lifting." Red was saying to the pair as I walked over to join her.

"What's with the mask?" Tilly asked the tall man who had a strange look of fear and disbelief on his face as he stared at her.

"Homer, get these morons out of here." Red said to her body guard, who stepped forward to escort the masked man and Tonto away. But Tonto pulled out a knife and drove it into the wooden table in front of Red, who pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Tonto. Tilly pulled out her own pistol and aimed it at the masked man who threw his hands up in surrender immediatley.

"Windigo getting away." Tonto said.

"What the hell's he talking about?" Red asked.

"Nothing. It's an Indian thing." The Masked Man replied.

"Man who has taste for human flesh." Tonto said again, and I glanced down at Red, knowing exactly who he was talking about.

"Butch Cavendish." She breathed. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" She added and turned to Tilly.

It wasn't done to discuss other client's business with anyone who wasn't working here, but this was different. This was personal. To everyone.

"This way." Tilly said and directed the trio into the back office. "Collins. Your traitor was in about a week ago with Sheriff Dan Reid, they were having themselves one hell of an arguement about something they'd found in the desert. He paid us with this." Tilly finished and tossed a chunk of silver to the masked man. "It's worthless around here, but get it to San Fransisco, they'll pay a thousand dollars for a piece like that."

"Red, we got trouble." Red's bodyguard said as he appeared at the door. I looked through the office window to see a large group of townsfolk with pitchforks and torches marching through the house down below.

"Sorry, Tonto. Indians don't seem to be welcome here." Tilly said.

"He has as much right to be here as anyone else." The masked man said nobally.

"Not since the Comanche violated the treaty." Red replied. "They've been raiding settlements up and down the river."

"Better go out the back." She added to the pair.

"Come, Tilly." Tonto nodded ugrently. "Need help with, Kemosabe." He added and nodded towards his partner who stood there awkwardly.

The trio headed out the back door as the crowd barged past Red and into the office. Tilly lead the group down the back steps and leapt down the last three to where the horses were kept. Tonto leapt onto a beautiful white Stallion while Tilly swung herself onto her black Mare.

"Come on." She urged the masked man and after a moments hesitation, he grabbed her hand and climbed up behind her.

Her horse bolted out of the stables with Tonto close behind as they were chased out of the town by the mob.

They rode until they reached the river, where the Comanche were supposedly ransacking villages. As dawn broke, they came across a small settlement that had been burned to the ground. The trio dismounted from their horses and picked their way through the debris. Tilly made her way into what used to be the kitchen and came across the body of one of the Comanches.

She couldn't understand why they'd violated the treaty until she took a closer look at the man. This was no Indian. This was one of Cavendish's men; painted up and dressed like an Indian. Now the question was why?

"This wasn't the Comanche." She said, returning to the others. "This was Cavendish."

"Why?" The masked man asked.

"No idea." She shrugged.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"Tracks lead north, toward Indian country." Tonto replied, walking over to one of the settlement's horses, tied up at it's post.

"That's four hundred square miles of rock and desert. Not even an Indian can track through that." The man replied.

"We follow horse, Kemosabe." Tonto replied, freeing the horse, and as it galloped off, we climbed back onto our own horses.

"Why does he keep calling you Kemosabe?" Tilly asked the masked man behind her.

"I don't know. What does it mean?" He asked.

"Wrong brother." She replied, not understanding. But John understood perfectly well. He also knew perfectly well that if Tilly found out who he was, she would not allow him to hold onto her as they rode off like he was now. She'd probably kick him off the horse and drag him behind by his feet. Although, he couldn't deny the fact that he was grateful for the chance to hold her again.

The truth was, he regretted what he'd done everyday since he'd left and he'd never once stopped thinking about her. He missed her and he wanted to tell her how stupid he'd been and how sorry he was, but he didn't like his chances of her even letting him near enough to try.

They followed the lone horse until the sun was high in the sky. They'd just reached a sandy plane when the masked man asked the question they'd all been thinking about.

"Why would Cavendish make it look like the Comanche violated the treaty? It must have something to do with what my broth...those rangers found in the desert." John said, catching himself before he gave the game away.

"Perhaps he want to make it look like Comanche violated treaty." Tonto said unhelpfully.

"That's very helpful, thank you." John replied as ahead of them, the horse they had been following stopped, looked uncertainly around before keeling over onto the sand.

The group dismounted and Tilly leaned against her horse as Tonto nudged the other creature with his foot.

"Horse dead." He announced and Tilly rubbed her forehead.

"I can see that. Now what?" The masked man asked before walking purposefully over to the Indian.

"We're lost, aren't we? I knew it. Just follow the horse. That was your idea? But you can't talk to a dead horse now can you?" He finished. Tonto just looked at him blankly before pulling some bird seed out of his pocket and sprinkling over the dead bird on his head piece.

"Stupid bird." The man muttered and reached for his pistol to blow it off Tonto's head, but Tilly was faster, grabbing his arm and flipping him onto the ground. He lay on his back as she pressed her knee against his neck.

"You need to calm down." She said to him, before glancing down at something shiny on his chest. It was a ranger star. "I thought all the rangers were dead." She said. "Who are you?"

"I'm...uh..." The man tried to think, but Tilly was impatient, so reached down and pulled off his mask. "Tilly wait..." he tried as she pulled it away.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She yelled and pushed away from him, pressing down on his neck a little harder than necessary, and he sat up coughing.

"Tilly..." John began, standing up.

"Don't." She fumed, before bending down and picking up a handful of sand. "Leave. Me. Alone!" She yelled, throwing a handful of sand at him with each word. "Sorry, Tonto." She said to her friend. "But you're gonna have to do this one alone."

Tilly stalked back to her horse, but stopped as he heel hit something hard in the sand. She bent down and brushed the sand away from a sleek silver rail.

"Train tracks." She said, and Tonto came running over. "But this is Indian territory."

Suddenly, there was the sound of something whistling through the air, then a shriek from behind them as John was impaled with an arrow and keeled over backwards.

Around them, Comanche emerged from the hot, wavering air, from below ridges and around boulders. There were at least thirty of them and they all carried loaded bows. Tilly and Tonto slowly stood up and raised their hands as they were surrounded.


	4. Chapter 4

Tilly watched, with unapologetic pleasure, as Tonto yanked the arrow out of John's chest, waking him from his unconsciousness with a loud yell.

The trio were currently locked in a bone cage that wrapped around a large tree, while the Comanche danced and chanted around a flaming bonfire.

"Are they Comanche?" John asked, looking over at the dancing tribe.

"Mm-hmm." Tonto replied.

"Well, that's good, right?" He asked.

"Not so much." Tonto replied. "They are doing death dance."

"For us?" John asked.

"Yes." Tonto replied, holding up a rusty needle to sew shut the hole in John's chest.

"Is that thing sterile?" John asked.

"Yes. I make urine on it." Tonto replied as he drove the needle into John's chest making him yell out.

"Try to think of something pleasant." Tonto suggested. "Like...like, Tilly."

Tilly rolled her eyes and sat back against the tree, watching the Comanche.

"She is your wife, yes?" Tonto asked and Tilly raised her eyebrows.

"Uh, no." John replied, embarrassed.

"Well you argue like it." Tonto said. "Are you…?" He added, waggling his eyebrows at John.

"No. Not anymore. We're...friends." John replied.

"Then you are more stupid than I thought." Tonto decided and it was silent for a moment, apart from a few groans from John as the needle continued to cause him pain. Tilly continued to look away, but couldn't help overhear the next part of their conversation.

"So, you will fill her with child, no?" Tonto asked.

"What?" John cried in a hushed voice, so Tilly wouldn't hear, but oh, she most definitely heard.

"When you were on the other side, you spoke of her in your vision." Tonto continued, just as loudly as before.

"Well, lack of oxygen can cause the brain to hallucinate. Everybody knows that." John said, and Tilly chanced a glance at him. She wasn't sure whether to feel hurt about him trying to deny it, or angry that he brushed it off. Neither sat well with her, because it meant she cared. Which she didn't. Obviously.

"Yes, but you didn't speak of her as a friend. Hmm?" Tonto finished and John was silent after that.

The next morning, Tilly was woken by the sounds of yelping and whooping. She looked out of the cage to see the Comanche mounting their horses and racing away as fast as their steeds would take them as the sound of a trumpet somehow made it through the commotion.

"What's going on?" She asked, peering out from the cage.

"The Cavalry." Tonto replied, referring to the Mounted American Army.

"Oh, thank goodness! Civilisation." John sighed. "We'll just explain the situation and get this whole misunderstanding cleared up." He finished as the cavalry shot straight through the camp, yelling loudly in pursuit of the Indians, and not even glancing in our direction.

As the last horses disappeared and the dust settled I looked meaningfully at John.

"Perhaps they didn't see us." He suggested.

"Oh, no. They will be back any minute." Tonto said sarcastically, shaking his head.

Tilly walked over to the lock on the cage and pulled the only pin she had, out of her hair, and inserted it into the lock as her hair fell down her back. She twisted the pin around a few times before the lock clicked and she pushed the door open.

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" John asked.

"Because I didn't feel like being skewered." She replied. "Coming?" She added, climbing onto her horse.

"Where to?" John asked and Tilly leaned forward in the saddle, looking to Tonto.

"To where the river begins." He said.

…

The small band soon arrived at the beginning of the river. Chinamen waddeled back and forth under the weight of the buckets of silver, ready to be poured into huge train carriages. At the entrance, Cavendish's men watched over the progress as Butch himself inspected a large chunk of silver.

"How are we gonna get to Cavendish?" John asked.

"I have an idea." Tilly replied, and lead the others, past Butch's men and into the tunnel, where the train tracks had recently been laid.

She ducked into the shadows, and the others followed suit. When the time was right, Tilly nodded to Tonto who cupped his hands over his mouth and made an Indian bird call.

All the Chinamen in the tunnel stopped their work and listened intently, looking around for the source of the sound. Tonto called again, this time a little louder, and then again. This was enough to scare the Chinamen out of the tunnel, and go running to Cavendish, hopefully telling him that there were Indian Spirits inside. Soon, the sound of two pairs of boots came echoing through the tunnel, and when they reached the group, they were swiftly knocked out and hidden away, cutting down the number of men Butch had.

Tilly picked up a stick of dynamite from it's box and lit it, before tossing it into a mining cart and pushing it out towards Cavendish so it rolled to a stop in front of them. They watched, just in the shadows, as the men warily walked over to the cart. They carefully glanced down inside before turning quickly and sprinting in the opposite direction as the dynamite went off, throwing them forwards.

As the dust cleared, Tilly, John and Tonto walked out of the tunnel and over to the barely conscious Cavendish. He rolled over, onto his stomach and tried to reach for his gun, but John got there first and kicked it out of his reach.

"You're supposed to be dead." Cavendish said to him, looking up at his ranger badge. John grabbed him by his jacket, and slammed him against a mining cart.

"You're gonna pay for what you've done..." John hissed, pushing the barrel of his pistol in Butch's chest.

"...To the full extent of the law." Cavendish finished. "Well I'll be damned. A lawyer, a crazy Indian and a wench." He added looking at Tilly.

"How dare you." John growled at that last statement, and flipped the pistol over in his hand and clubbed Butch across the face with the handle.

"Is this love, Lawman?" Butch chuckled. "'Cause, uh, I doubt she proper."

"You're wrong." John said, feeling more confident than he ever had in his life. "I am far from deserving of her. Just as you will never be deserving of forgiveness." He finished, and Tilly felt her heart swell. But she didn't want it to. She didn't like him. Plain and simple.

"Time for justice." Tonto said, handing John a loaded pistol.

"No, this isn't justice. He's unarmed." He replied.

"Windigo cut out brother's heart. Where is brother's justice?" Tonto asked.

"No. I'm not a savage." John replied adamantly.

"Fine. I will do it." Tonto decided.

"Wait." Tilly said. "John's right."

Tonto couldn't believe that she was siding with the white man.

"Tonto, I want this too, but it's not right." Tilly tried.

"You will not keep me from my destiny." He replied and pushed past the pair to kneel down in front of Cavendish with a loaded gun.

Beside Tilly, John bent down and picked up a metal shovel and as Tonto went to pull the trigger, he swung it, clobbering the Indian in the side of the head and knocking him out cold.

"I knew I could count on you, Counsellor." Cavendish said, as Tilly knelt down to tie his hands together with rope. John took the end from her and mounted. Tilly mounted too, and though she felt guilty for leaving Tonto, she prided herself as an outlaw of justice. So, off the pair rode, dragging the infamous outlaw behind them, all the way back to Promontory Point.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi all! I'm sorry for not posting more consistently. I'll be posting a new chapter each day from now on. Thank you for bearing with me and for reading!**

 **Lots of love and best wishes!**

* * *

The trip to Promontory Point was slow going because Butch was walking, but Tilly didn't mind as it gave her plenty of time to work out her thoughts. She'd always believed in second chances, which meant that John deserved one, but she didn't want to be the woman who runs back to the man and forgives him instantly because she loves him.

They travelled until night had well and truly fallen, before making camp at an abandoned Indian settlement. It was very eerie. The tent flaps gently waving in the breeze, belongings lying around as if everyone had vanished suddenly and fire pits sitting unused as if they'd been built just in time for their creators to leave.

John tied Cavendish up in one of the tents while Tilly started a fire. He watched her as she worked and only looked away when she sensed his eyes on her. He made his way into one of the tents, which had amulets and trinkets hanging from the roof. He held one in his hand. A crystal, that multiplied anything if you looked through it by eight. He looked through it around the room, but let it go when he saw eight Tillys standing in the doorway.

"Uh, hi." He stammered.

"Hi." She replied, with just the hint of a smile. "I...just wanted to say thank you for what you did back there. You'd think after all this time I'd have gotten used to people thinking so little of me." She shrugged, stepping further into the tent.

"Some people still think the world of you." John replied honestly, and he thought he saw her swell with pride, but it could just have been the light.

"Tilly, I'm so sorry." He began, and faltered slightly when she looked down. "It's nowhere near an excuse but I was young and stupid and wanted to please my Father. But I never once stopped loving you."

"You said I wasn't worthy of you. Did you really think so little of me?" Tilly asked sadly.

"Tilly, I thought the world of you. I still do. And it is _I_ who is not worthy of _you._ " He replied and stepped forward earnestly.

"What do I do?" He asked, almost to the point of begging Tilly to give him something, but she had nothing to say, or rather she didn't know how to say it. John sighed when she didn't reply and walked out of the tent to check on Cavendish.

Tilly stood there, and thought for a long time before working out how to say what needed to be said. She left the tent and walked over to the fire where she sat down and waited for John to return. When he did, he hovered behind her, not sure if his presence was welcome or not.

"You think it's about you? What you should do?" Tilly said to him. "And that I'm just waiting here for you to pass a test…and you did. So now I have to love you. That's how it goes. But I don't. I choose for me. Not you. So let me go." She finished, looking up at him as he sat down beside her.

"I can't. I won't." He said honestly.

"Let me go!" She cried and went to push him away but he caught her hands. "Let me go."

"Tilly stop." He said gently.

"The Tilly you loved is dead. I don't even remember what it feels like to be her." Tilly said as she felt tears in her eyes, which only made her more upset. Even as she said it, she longed to remember what it felt like to be loved, cherished...wanted. "But the world won't let it." She said the last part out loud.

"Maybe...maybe we are not worthy of the world, that's for someone else to judge, but we are worthy of each other. We are worthy of each other's love." John said, putting his hand on the side of Tilly's face as a tear dropped down her cheek.

Tilly stared at the man she once loved, or still loves, she wasn't sure, but in that moment she remembered what it felt like to be loved, to be wanted, to be cared for. So, she leant forward and as tears fell from her eyes she kissed him, and he was there to hold her and return her love.

John was wary not to seem too eager, but Tilly wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He pulled her onto his lap and held her against him, vowing never to let her out of his sight again. She slid her hands down to the lapels on his jacket and held them tightly, almost as if she was fearful that he might disappear.

When their lips finally parted, Tilly looked straight at John, the dancing fire reflecting in her eyes.

"I love you." He whispered earnestly, running the back of his hand down her cheek.

"And I you." Tilly replied, closing her eyes against his touch.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Tilly woke as the last embers of the fire died. She was lying under a thin blanket that didn't provide much warmth, but what the blanket didn't provide John did. He was lying beside her, his arm wrapped tightly around her. Every now and then she felt his breath parting her hair. The sound of a whinnying horse brought her to full consciousness, and she looked up to see the white horse walking out of one of the tents with John's hat perched jauntily on it's head.

Tilly sat up and stared at the horse. John felt her move and he too sat up, bleary eyed.

"Where did you say you got that horse from again?" She asked.

"I didn't. But according to Tonto it's a Spirit...Horse." He replied, realising how silly it sounded. The two watched in stunned silence as the horse sauntered past and over to a small patch of grass, which it began nibbling at.

"We should keep moving." Tilly said, getting up and stamping out the remains of fire.

And so, the group continued their journey, trekking through sand, over rock, through rivers and eventually over the tall bridge that signified the Commanche border, that would carry them back to Colby. By the time they arrived, night had fallen and Cavalry soldiers cast eerie glows from the fire pits they surrounded against the long train. Tilly had her face covered with the neck tie Cole had bought her. She wasn't ready for everyone to know who she was just yet. She enjoyed a bit on anonymity.

"Halt." One of them ordered.

"Latham Cole!" John yelled in the direction of the train, ignoring the soldiers as they advanced on them with guns drawn. "Latham Cole!" John yelled again, this time bringing out the Railroad Master and the Captain of the Cavalry.

"What is it friend?" Cole asked.

"This is the man you've been looking for." John replied and hauled Butch forward so he tumbled to the ground in front of Cole.

"Butch Cavendish. Just like one of those great lizards buried in the desert. The last of a dying breed." Cole spat as he kicked Cavendish in the head.

"Hey!" John warned and leapt off his horse to pick up Cavendish. "I brought this man in for justice."

"Of course." Cole nodded, and let a soldier step forward to handcuff the outlaw.

"Come aboard. I'm sure you're both hungry." Cole said to Tilly and John, who dismounted and followed him inside where they were each given a fancy room inside to wash.

The pair had been invited to dine with Cole, and they were heading through the train to meet him when Tilly noticed the glow of a fire underneath one of the doors. She thought it was strange, because there was no one else on board, so she told John to go ahead and pushed open the door.

The room was empty, and the only movement came from the crackling fireplace. Tilly walked over to the fire, but wasn't paying any particular attention to it, until something burning in it caught her eye. A group of papers had been tossed into the fire place with drawings and notes sprawled across them. They'd only been singed, which meant they'd only recently been thrown in, and in a hurry too. So, careful of the flames, she reached into the fire and pulled out the papers.

Tilly knelt down and brushed the soot away from what she now saw where maps. Maps of the railroad. Maps of the railroad running right through the middle of the Comanche Territory. The railroad wasn't supposed to go anywhere near that area. The Comanche and Cole's superiors had drawn up a treaty promising to leave their land untouched.

But the 'Comanche', had, in everyone's eyes, violated the treaty, giving Cole and his superiors exactly what they wanted. The pieces suddenly began to fit together in Tilly's mind. The railroad wanted to go straight across America, but they had to change their plans because of the Comanche, so they drew up a peace treaty to respect each party. But as soon as the Comanche had violated the treaty, it meant that the Railroad had no obligation to avoid the their land.

But the Comanche hadn't violated the treaty, it was Cavendish posing as them. But why? Tilly got up to look out of the window to the back of the train, and sure enough she saw huge carriages, filled to the brim with chunks of silver.

And then suddenly it all made sense. Train tracks. That's what the Rangers had found in the Indian Territory. They wouldn't go along with Cole's plan to frame the Comanche by using Cavendish, so he had them all killed. Butch was helping Cole get his railroad and in return, Cole would give Cavendish enough silver to buy a whole country.

Tilly hurried back to the maps on the floor, but just as she bent down, the train jolted forwards and began moving. She had to get to John. She had to warn him.

Suddenly, a chain was wrapped around her neck from behind and someone, yanked her backwards, trying to choke her. Her hands flew to the chain and tried to pull it away from her throat. Whoever was behind her, pulled harder, so she went with them, tilting her head back and ducking under the chain. She whirled around and came face to face with Butch's man, Frank. Tilly pulled her pistol out of her holster and began to raise it, but someone caught her hand from behind.

She looked over her shoulder to see a huge man towering above her. She spun around and aimed a punch at his head, but he caught that hand too and held them in front of her as he clapped a pair of handcuffs on her wrists.

"You're not supposed to be in here, Missy." I familiar voice said, and Butch Cavendish slid out of the shadows. Tilly was pushed back into one of the plush armchairs, while the huge man guarded the door and Frank watched as Cavendish put his hand on the back of the armchair beside Tilly's head.

"Now…What you got that has all the boys so hot under the collar, hm?" He asked, before leaning forward and hovering his face beside her neck. "Mm." He sighed, breathing in her. "Maybe I'll have a little taste and find out." He whispered in her ear, causing her skin to prickle.

He slowly undid the neck tie from around her neck, pulling it away slowly before breathing in it's scent.

"Mm. That rose?" He asked, referring to the perfume.

"Boss." The big man said from the door. "Cole wants you. And he wants you to bring the girl."

Butch sighed and shut his eyes in annoyance before grabbing Tilly by the arm. He pulled her to her feet, before smiling maliciously as he tied the neck tie back around her face.

"I'm guessing Cole doesn't know who you really are." He grinned.

He pulled her out of the room, down the carriage's corridor and into the next, then the next until they came through the door into the dining car where John was holding Cole at gunpoint.

"Tilly." John said in alarm as Butch grabbed ahold of Tilly's hair and pulled her head back, pushing the barrel of his pistol into her chin.

"Never knew you were pursuing an outlaw, did ya Cole." Cavendish said to a confused Cole, as he pulled away the neck tie, exposing Tilly's identity.

"Outlaw scum." Cole spat, annoyed that Tilly had made a fool of him.

"Put the gun down, boy." Butch said to John. "Or say bye bye to Miss oh-so-young-and-pretty." He added before pressing his nose into her neck, inhaling her scent once again.

Tilly watched as John clenched his teeth in anger, but gave in and lowered his gun. At that point, the door at the other end of the car opened and the Captain of the Cavalry, Captain Fuller waltzed in, carrying an apple, which he subsequently dropped in surprise.

In the brief distraction, Tilly threw her head back, cracking it against Cavendish's face, making him drop his gun. She kicked it to John, who picked it up and aimed one at Butch and the other at Cole, while Tilly stayed well clear, her hands still tied.

"Captain, arrest these men." John said to Fuller.

"Captain." Cole said calmly to him.

"They started this war!" John said over the top of him.

"You represent the United States Government, you don't work for this man." Tilly added.

"But if that's true, then I just attacked the Comanche for no reason." Fuller said, trying to process the information.

"That's right Captain. Slaughter of the innocent. Are you capable of that?" Cole asked him as Fuller swallowed nervously. 'Blackmail' Tilly thought.

"Well, the way I see it, these men are with the railroad. So the question is, what are you doing here?" Fuller asked turning to John and I. "Men!" He yelled loudly, and eight soldiers, all with bayonets pushed into the dining car, aiming their barrels at Tilly and John.

Reluctantly, John dropped both pistols as the soldiers bound his hands together in front of him.


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't long before the train pulled to a halt at the mine Tilly and John had left only two days ago. They were sitting against the wall of an empty carriage with their hands and feet bound together. A squad of soldiers soon marched through the door and hauled the pair to their feet and pushed them off the train.

Once they were on solid ground, they were surrounded by more soldiers, all standing in formation as a drum beat steadily. The pair were marched away from the train and over to the back set of train tracks. Tilly knew they were about to face a firing squad, but this time, she was out of escape plans. As she racked her brains trying to think of something, the group passed a line of Chinamen, one of which was holding a bird cage with a crow in it to test for gas, but the bird was completely still. She looked at John, who'd seen it too, but neither of them knew what it meant.

They stopped before lone standing cart set on the train tracks. John was pushed up first onto it, then Tilly who was trying not to let her fear show.

"Detail, halt!" Fuller ordered and the soldiers turned to face the pair.

A white blindfold was put over Tilly's eyes, which only made her panic more and her breathing quickened. Beside her, John was blindfolded too and had his hat placed on his head. The drums continued beating rhythmically.

Back in the mine one Chinaman remained after having all been cleared out. The soldiers yelled at him to leave, but he kept walking towards them until he stopped and held up a cage with a dead crow in it.

"What the hell?" One of the soldiers wondered, until the train driver poked him head out the window and recognised the sign.

"Gas." He breathed. "That's gas!" He yelled and put the train into reverse, backing straight out to the mine towards the firing squad.

"Port Arms!" Tilly heard Fuller order. "Load!" He commanded and she heard the sound of bullets being loaded and then the click of the safety latch being released.

The drums beat faster as Fuller yelled out "Ready!"

"Aim!" He ordered.

Tilly tensed beside John and he felt her unsteadiness, so he reached across and grasped her hand.

"Fire!" Fuller yelled, and Tilly flinched away as the sound of pistol shots echoed through the valley. However, there was another sound. The sound of bullets hitting metal, and no pain to Tilly nor John.

"Tilly?" John said warily.

"What happened?" She replied, looking around even though the blindfold prevented her from seeing anything.

The sound of a loon calling met their ears, and as the calls continued the valley fell silent. The calls stopped and all was quiet for a while until the sound arrows whistling through the air reached them. Then suddenly, all hell broke loose as men started falling to the ground having been shot with arrows. Comanche arrows. From up on the mountain top. They came in their hundreds, ready to seek revenge on those who had wrongfully accused them and slaughtered their innocent kin.

Out of the tunnel came Tonto, his dead bird out of it's cage and back on his head, and racing along the track on a push cart as arrows continued to fly.

Back on the tiny cart, John pulled Tilly in front of him to protect her from the arrows.

"Hold on, Kemosabe!" A voice came from behind them and something heavy ran into the back of their cart, almost knocking the pair over.

"Tonto?" John called in surprise.

"What's going on?" Tilly asked.

"Nothing." He replied. "No reason for concern." Tonto continued, pushing them along the track and into the tunnel.

As the sounds of screaming, whooping and guns firing faded, the sound of something much larger met Tilly's ears. It sounded like...a train.

"Tonto?" She called back to him warily, not really wanting to know the answer. "What is that?"

Tonto looked over his shoulder and saw the huge steam engine baring down on them.

"Must jump!" He yelled.

"Which way?" Tilly asked.

"Yes!" Was his reply, so Tilly did what came naturally, and leapt left, off the cart and went tumbling down what felt like a steep tunnel. She rolled to a stop at the bottom of the descent and was then landed on by John.

"What in the world?" She managed as Tonto pulled down the blindfold. He swiftly undid John's hands, who then did Tilly's.

Just as they thought they had a chance to breathe, a barrel of Kerosene landed beside them. As one, they leapt up and sprinted down the tunnel, as Butch Cavendish chucked a stick of dynamite down, behind the kerosine.

In the distance, Tilly heard the explosion and an orange glow strengthened behind them. She felt the heat on her back and heard the roar of flames, and then suddenly felt weightless, as if she was falling. Was she dead? Is this what it felt like to die?

But then she heard Tonto and John screaming, and she looked down to see herself plummeting towards an underground lake below, as the explosion hit the opposite wall.

She hit the water with such force, she sank at least ten meters. As the water built up around her. She looked around under water and saw a rocky archway, in the direction the water was flowing.

Tonto caught her attention and gestured for them to follow him. Under the archway and then up and up and up, until finally, they broke through the surface of the water, gasping for air. They'd emerged on the other side of the mountain, where the sound of gunfire could no longer be heard.

Tilly swam to the steep shoreline and sloshed out of the water, collapsing onto her hands and knees as she coughed up lungfuls of water. When she finally caught her breath she sat back and drank in big lungfuls of wair.

"You were right." John said, defeatedly to Tonto, who was holding his bird in his hands. "There is no justice. Cole controls everything. The railroad, the Cavalry, everything...If men like him represent the law, I'd rather be an outlaw."

"That is why you wear the mask." Tonto said knowingly and held up the leather mask for John to take.

As the group fell silent a soft neigh from a horse was heard and the trio looked over to a nearby tree where the Spirit Horse stood on one of it's branches, wearing John's hat and eating the tree's leaves.

"Something very wrong with that horse." Tonto said and both Tilly and John nodded slowly.


	8. Chapter 8

As the sun rose over the mountain, the group got ready to face Cole and Cavendish once more. It was now or never and they had a good plan. Well, they had more of a plan of a plan. But it was a plan none the less.

"Ready to ride into battle, Mr Reid?" Tilly asked from behind John.

"Yes, ma'am." John replied, turning away from his horse to face her. Tilly saw that he still had some blood on his face from the night before, so she pulled off her necktie and walked over to him.

"We can't have you looking all scruffy now, can we? Come here." She said, and wiped the blood from his face. John reached out to hold her, but hesitated slightly. Tilly noticed this and brushed her waist against his hand, and he had no fear about holding her anymore.

Tilly let her hand fall away and looked up at his handsome face.

"It's good to see you." She said distantly. "It's been a long time... You've become a right old city boy." She chuckled, wiping the last bit of blood off with her thumb. "Why would you ever want to come back here?"

"It's my home." He replied.

"Well, home is changing. Who knows, it'll probably be gone soon, with the railroad." Tilly replied.

"No, my home will always be where you are." John said and out of the corned of his eye, saw Tonto watching them from over the top of the saddle. Tonto, aware that he'd been sprung, nodded encouragingly. Tilly saw John looking past her and she turned around just in time to see Tonto disappear behind the saddle.

She turned back to John with a grin on her face. She pulled the leather mask out of John's pocket and reached up to tie it around his head. He didn't take his eyes off her face as she gently tied a knot with her rough hands.

"There. Now you're home." She said, and pressed her palm against his face, letting a soft kiss linger on his lips.

Crowds cheered as the decorated marching band played a heroic fanfare and the workers of the railroad celebrated aboard the two steam trains that faced each other on the newly completed track. Tilly watched from the back of the crowd as Cole accepted a gift from the chairman of the railroad, turning his nose up when he was called an 'employee.'

Cole may have thought he'd won, but they had a plan. It was a good plan.

While Tilly was watching, John and Tonto were in a nearby town called Coolenga.

"You sure about this?" John asked the Indian as he readjusted his mask.

"Mmm. Dead man strike fear into heart of his enemy." Tonto replied.

"All right. Let's do this." John said and together, the pair rode their horses into the town, firing their pistols as they went. They leapt from their horses and burst through the doors of the bank.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my colleague and I will be making a withdrawal. I understand this bank is insured, so..." John started, but after one disapproving look from Tonto, changed his tack.

"This is a damn bank robbery!" He yelled, and the crowd spread to the sides of the room in shrieks as the strange pair barged through to the bar.

John pointed his pistol at the bank manager, who threw his hands up in the air.

"Open the vault." He ordered and the manger swiftly turned to Latham Cole's private vault and spun the dial, pulling back the heavy metal door to reveal crates upon crates of dynamite.

The pair then swiftly made their way to the towering bridge that stood above the river below, signifying the Comanche border. To each post, John and Tonto strapped a sprig of dynamite, working along the river until the entire bottom of the bridge was covered.

Tonto lit a match and handed it to John, who lit the fuse before sprinting after Tonto, out of the water at top speed, and diving behind a sand dune as the bridge exploded in a ball of fire behind them.

Back in Colby, the gathered crowd gasped as there was the sound of a muffled explosion and a small mushroom cloud plumed into the sky.

"What was that?" A man wondered beside Tilly.

"Probably just tunneling for supply routes." She said to him, but it most definitely was not. That was the signal for their plan to be put into action.

As Cole lead the other business men into the ranger's office, Fuller checked his men, who were standing along the train. Now all she had to do was distract the soldiers long enough for John and Tonto to get back from the bridge.

At first, she had no idea how she was going to distract every single soldier, but then she'd remembered that she wasn't alone and on cue, the sound of a wolf whistle met her ears and she looked in the direction of the sound. Red and her large band of girls were walking through the crowd, peeling off to distract the soldiers.

Red walked right up to Fuller and placed her foot on a crate.

"May I be of some assistance to you, madam?" He asked her.

"Seems I have a run in my stocking." She replied and pulled back her skirt slightly to reveal her ivory leg.

"Ivory." He breathed, bending down to look at it.

Tilly watched as he inspected the craftsmanship. She waited anxiously for any sign of John and Tonto's return. Her worry was pointless however, as she caught sight of Tonto slipping into the engine of one of the trains, completely unseen by Fuller, who was running his hand up Red's leg.

Beside the paddock holding the Cavalry's horses, Red's bodyguard parked a covered cart of dynamite beside the gate.

Tilly began making her way through the crowd as Tonto took the engine's power lever and pushed it away from him. The train jolted forwards, before stopping. Backwards. Tonto needed backwards. So he pulled back on the lever and the train creaked and groaned before slowing moving away from the town.

"Stop that train!" A voice came from the Ranger's office and Cole came running down the steps.

"Get the horses!" One of the soldiers yelled.

'Now Red!' Tilly thought, and right on time, Red flicked up the small trigger in her leg and the heel of her boot swung open to reveal a pistol. She fired straight at the dynamite and the explosion sent the Cavalry flying backwards as horses escaped from their obliterated pen.

One of the soldiers ran to a machine gun and began shooting at Tonto in the cabin, who ducked out of the way, yet still somehow continued blowing the whistle of the huge Steam Engine. From the roof of the Ranger's office came a whistle and the crowd looked up to see a masked man on a rearing, white horse. John lassoed the machine gun and pointed it towards the Ranger's office, peppering the windows with bullets.

"Go!" Tilly heard a voice yell, and she looked over at the other train, which had Butch and Cole inside, giving chase to Tonto.

As the flood of horses ran through the crowd, Tilly caught one by the mane and swung herself onto it's back, giving chase to the train as John leapt his horse from roof to roof, and then somehow, onto the last carriage of Cole's train.


	9. Chapter 9

Tilly urged the horse faster as she clutched to it's horses mane, not having saddle to keep her steady. She raced past the first train with Cole and Cavendish on board before catching up to Tonto's train, still chugging along backwards. She kept her balance as she climbed to her feet on the horses back and timed her jump, so she landed in between two of the carriages. The train jolted to the side as it switched tracks, meaning Cole's could now catch up, and soon the engine was puffing along side her. As the engine passed and carriages followed it, the sound of a gun shot to her right made Tilly duck. She looked to the carriage beside her as the door was wrenched open and Fuller appeared with a gun aimed at her.

She turned, grabbing her pistol and leapt through the door of the carriage to her other side, slamming it shut behind her, ready for when the Captain came through.

"Get down." She said to the confused passengers, who just looked around curiously at first, but as soon as the door flew open and Tilly fired a shot, they all dropped to the floor.

She ducked behind a row of seats as Fuller fired at her. She appeared around the side and fired back, forcing him backwards. But then her pistol made a clicking sound and no more bullets flew.

"Seems we're all out of bullets." Fuller said maniacally as he aimed both his pistols straight at her and fired, but his guns clicked as well. It was now a race for who could reload their pistols faster, but that didn't seem to be at the front of Fuller's mind, because he pushed past Tilly and flung open the door at the rear of the carriage. He bent down and uncoupled the long line of silver cars, setting them loose before rounding back on Tilly and firing at her again.

However, he didn't get the chance to fire a second shot because a large, metal shovel dropped down from the roof of the train and clobbered him on the back of the head. He blinked once before falling forwards on to the floor, unconscious.

There was a slight pause before Tonto dropped down behind him.

"Tonto!" Tilly cried in amazement. "Who's driving the train?" She asked, and Tonto opened his mouth to answer, but hastily shut it again before swiftly rushing past her, back towards the engine.

She glanced out the window and saw Cole's train disappearing down into a valley. She didn't want to lose the train, so she grabbed the edge of the roof with both hands and swung herself up, onto the roof. She was hoping to jump across, but the gap was too far.

The train was disappearing quickly, so she pulled out her whip and latched it onto a tree branch as the train shut past and the momentum of being tugged off the roof, catapulted her across the gap to the other train. She landed on her feet but only for a millisecond before she tumbled towards the edge of the carriage.

Tilly disappeared over the edge, managing to hold on with her forearms to the slight dent in the top of the carriage. She hauled herself back onto the roof as the sound of horses hooves stopped beside her.

"Need a lift?" John asked down to her, holding out his hand. She took it and he pulled her onto the back of his horse before racing off again to the front of the train. For a split second she thought about asking how his horse was still on the train, but an approaching tunnel wiped the thought from her mind.

"John." Tilly warned him as he didn't slow down for it. "John?" She called, thinking perhaps he hadn't seen it. "John!" She yelled and held onto him tightly as the tunnel reached them, but John spurred his horse faster until the last second when they dropped down onto an empty flat bed.

Tilly slid off the back of the horse, landing on her feet as John continued through the next empty carriage. She turned around to face the carriage behind her, which was full of people crying out to her for help. Tilly unhooked the carriages, and watched as the began to slow, with the loss of the engine, before they disappeared on a corner.

As the two tracks neared each other again, Tilly saw Cole, who'd somehow managed to get aboard the other train, hurtling along the line in just the engine.

She grabbed her two pistols and made sure they were fully loaded before making a well timed leap onto the back of the bunker, narrowly avoiding a tree.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a single carriage grind past her on the opposite track with Butch and John inside. The carriage came to a sharp bend and, with it's speed, swung around violently so it was skating along the track sideways. While all this was going on, behind her, Tilly could hear the sound of carriages approaching and reluctantly looked over her shoulder to see the carriages of silver hurtling straight towards her with Tonto on top.

As Tilly braced for impact, the train jolted sideways as the two tracks joined. Tilly again looked over her shoulder and saw an accident about to happen. John's sideways carriage had made it's way onto the track before the silver, and was about to be crushed by the heavy metal bearing down on it. Tilly climbed up onto, the bunker and pulled out her whip as Butch aimed his pistol at John, who was fully aware about the collision that was about to happen.

"John!" Tilly yelled, and the pair in the carriage looked up as she threw her whip down to him. It seemed to move in slow motion as it spun through the air, finally reaching John's hand. He caught it easily, and in one swift movement, looped it around a tree branch, and was yanked out of the carriage. As Cavendish turned to see where he'd gone, he came face to face with four carriages of silver.

The sound of splintering wood cracked through the air as both the carriage and Butch were obliterated.

John swung from the whip and timed his drop, so he landed in the saddle of his horse, who had somehow made it's way to the ground.

The two trains were now significantly shorter than they had been when they'd first set of from Colby. Cole's engine was puffing along at full speed with Tilly atop the bunker, behind them were the four carriages of silver, with Tonto still perched on top. Then came the second engine, which was still steaming backwards. And they were all heading towards the bridge.

A bullet suddenly flew past Tilly's head and she whirled around to see Cole shooting at her from the cabin of the engine. She fired back, but he had cover, where atop the bunker full of coal, there was nowhere to hide. She dropped down onto her stomach and covered her head as she continued the firefight. Soon, the rain of bullets stopped and Tilly looked up warily and saw Cole pulling the brakes on the engine.

This was her chance to end it. She had one bullet left and it had to count. So, she aimed the pistol slowly and held her finger on the trigger. As she pulled the trigger, the carriages of silver hit the engine's coupling, with such force than Tilly fell onto her back as she pulled the trigger. The bullet flew past Cole by only millimeters and clanged off the metal cabin.

Now she was out in the open, with no bullets and hurtling towards a non-existent bridge. It came to her in a flash. She knew exactly what to do.

Down beside, her John was racing along on his horse and as if the thought had come to them at the same time, he looked up and held out his hand. She took a leap of faith and jumped. John caught her around her waist and she landed awkwardly, half in his lap and half off the side of his horse.

"We need to go to the back." She said to him, pulling herself up.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied.

He pulled back on the reins, letting the silver carriages pass them, before pulling up beside the still backwards travelling engine.

John held her steady as she stood up and grabbed onto the railing, pulling herself into the engine.

"Tonto! The silver!" She yelled at the Indian, who was trying to dodge Cole's bullets.

As John urged his horse to continue it's long run, he saw that Tonto had no chance of uncoupling the silver with Cole baring down on him atop the first carriage. John loaded his gun with his last bullet at took a deep breath.

"I'm a Spirit Walker. I can't miss." He said to himself and aimed at Cole's hand. He fired quickly, hit his target dead on and the gun was knocked from his hand.

"Yes." He breathed, but his elation soon disappeared when he looked ahead to see the bridge fast approaching. He was running out of time to get clear of the ravine. So, just as Tilly had done, he stood up in his saddle and made a leap for the engine, but as his foot left the saddle, it slipped and without enough power behind his jump, he knew he wouldn't make it.

As his hand just missed the side of the train, his arm was caught by a strong hand and he looked up to see Tilly, straining from keeping him from falling. She pulled hard and he clambered up into the engine.

"Thanks." He gasped.

"My pleasure." She replied, equally overcome at the close call.

Tonto leapt off the back of the silver carriages and onto the coupling that connected them to John and Tilly's engine. He pulled out the bolt and Tilly pulled the train's brakes, the wheels squealing as they tried to find grip. Behind them, Cole sat confusedly on top of the silver carriages. They were letting him get away with the silver. Why?

He soon found out. As the trio watched from their engine, the first carriage of silver fell off the edge of the bridge and down into the ravine bellow, followed by the second, third and then the fourth, taking Latham Cole with it.

As their train came to a stop before the end of the bridge, the trio looked over the edge to water far below and watched as the carriages sank out of view. It was over.


	10. Chapter 10

As the band played again at Promontory Point, a cheering crowd clapped as John stood a little awkwardly at the side of the stage, next to all the businessmen, whom, only an hour before, had been congratulating Latham Cole.

Tilly sat on her horse off to the side of the crowd. She had not been invited up to be thanked because she was a woman and a disrespected one at that.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." a large man with an even larger moustache boomed, getting up in front of the crowd. "...as Chairman of the Transcontinental Railroad, I'd like to express our gratitude to this masked man, this...Lone Ranger." He considered and the crowd cheered as he gestured for John to come up onto the stage.

John stepped forward, a little embarrassed at all the fanfare as the chairman handed a box to him.

"A small token of our thanks." He said and the crowd clapped. "There'll be more where that came from." He added, nodding over at Tilly who was watching on, happy that John was getting what he deserved, but with a raised eyebrow. She hadn't missed the chairman's last remark.

"Time to take off the masked, son." The chairman said to John, who looked down at the box, which had an intricately engraved pocket watch inside. He looked back at the businessman before glancing over at Tilly. She didn't nod, or shake her head. She was letting him make his own decision about what to do.

John looked back at the watch before taking it out and shutting the box.

"Thank you, sir." He said and tossed the watch to Tilly who didn't catch it quite as deftly as she usually would've. She was obviously surprised at his bold move. "But not yet." John added to the chairman, handing the box back to the man.

The chairman looked as if he were about to protest, but John had already left the stage and climbed onto his horse. The crowd parted as he walked over to Tilly.

"Train's headed west. There's nothing holding you here anymore." He said.

"There is." She replied.

"What's that?...Someone, perhaps?" He asked, playfully.

"Oh, he's no one really. Kinda tall, kinda handsome, a city boy. A bit thick sometimes though." She replied with a shrug.

"Thick?" He asked in mock hurt. "What do you mean thick?"

"As in he hasn't asked a question, which I would more than happily answer." Tilly replied, kicking her horse into a walk as the crowd parted.

"Wait. What question?" He called after her and she rolled her eyes. He'd cotton on soon.

Together, they rode out of town and met Tonto on the border.

"I thought I'd call him Silver." John said nodding down at his horse.

"It is a good name, Kemosabe." Tonto replied.

"Yeah, Kemosabe. I was thinking. If we're gonna be outlaws, then I'm gonna need a better name." He said. "How about, "The Mask of Justice"?"

"No." Tilly replied, adamantly.

"What about "The Lone Rider of..."?" He tried again.

"No." Tonto disagreed.

"Fine." John said defeatedly before asking Tonto. "Is there a question I was going to ask Tilly but forgot?"

Tonto turned around and looked at her before looking back at John. "Stupid white man." He said shaking his head.

"Don't worry. You'll get there eventually." Tilly said to John, who smiled at her fondly before leaning over in his saddle to kiss her.

"Where to now?" He asked.

"Wherever we want." She replied as the trio looked out across the long, barren plane.

"Well, wherever we're going. We won't get there at this pace." John said and reared his horse. "Hi-yo Silver! Away!" He shouted dramatically, and Tilly shared an alarmed look with Tonto.

"What?" John asked looking at them.

"Don't ever do that again." Tonto said.

Tilly grinned at the man she loved as the proud look on his face disappeared.

"Sorry." He apologised.

"Ha." Tilly spurred her horse and together, the trio galloped across the plane towards the sunset and their next adventure.


	11. Chapter 11

_New York, 1997. Christmas._

"Then what happened?" The little girl asked her grandmother as she finished the story. "What was the question John was meant to ask? Did they have any more adventures?"

"My dear, they had many, many more adventures." Her grandmother replied. "And John finally asked the question. He married Tilly and had a little girl and a little boy."

"And did they have adventures too?" The little girl asked.

"They most certainly did." She replied as the door to the living room opened and the girl's parents came in to take her to bed.

"Is the story really true, Granny?" The little girl asked.

"That's up to you to decide." Her grandmother replied, pulling out the pocket watch John had given Tilly.

"Woah." The little girl breathed.

"Come on darling, it's time for bed." Her mother said.

"Good night, Granny." The girl said to her grandmother.

"Good night…Tilly." She replied and watched as the latest in the long line of Reid's was lead out of the living room and up to bed.

From the small wooden table beside her, the old woman pulled out a photo and held it up to the light. The brown photo showed three people on horses, standing on a ridge, overlooking the town of Colby. Tilly and John grinned out, while Tonto calmly surveyed the scene.

Yes, the story was very true indeed.

* * *

 **A/N: So, that's it guys! Thank you all for sticking with me and my unreliability.**

 **Thanks to everyone who favourited and followed, and took the time to post reviews. You all mean the world to me!**

 **Thank you again and my very best wishes to each of you.**

 **Love,**

 **Amy xoxo**


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